Adelson wants European Las Vegas Spanish casino complex to allow smoking
Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson wants to bring one of the world's largest casino resorts to Spain. The complex, known as EuroVegas, will include a casino, conference center and hotel and will immediately become one of Europe's largest construction projects, bringing much-needed jobs to a country suffering from severe unemployment.
All of this sounds positive for Spain. But many in the country are now concerned that Adelson, who has asked the Spanish government to allow smoking in European Las Vegas, wants to use the influence of the major project to his own advantage.
Strictly no smoking
This would violate Spanish health laws. In 2011, the government passed some of the world's strictest anti-smoking laws aimed at preventing gamblers and others from smoking inside European Las Vegas complexes. But given the importance of Adelson's project, he believes he won't have any problem getting the government on his side.
"No, I don't think so," Adelson told reporters in Jerusalem to discuss whether the Spanish government would resist his efforts to change smoking laws. Adelson met with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in Madrid this week to finalize his European Las Vegas proposal.
However, there are many in Spain who oppose the repeal of anti-smoking legislation.
“We Spaniards do not want tobacco laws to be changed,” says the petition posted on change.org. "We cannot allow a good law to be changed so that Mr Adelson can make more money while Spain becomes poorer."
Adelson shows off his muscles
Given the scale of Adelson's effort, he thinks the change to the law is likely to be the right one to make without too much trouble. Due to the size of the complex, legal changes will be required just to build it - changes the local government says will be implemented within the next six weeks.
EuroVegas will be built in the Alcorcón area on the outskirts of Madrid. Adelson said he has $9.8 billion in funding ready for construction, with 2017 being the target date for the opening of the first phase of the complex. There will be four separate resorts - each with about 3,000 hotel rooms and casino facilities - tripling that number by the time construction is completed. Adelson said the project will eventually create 240,000 jobs in Spain.
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Source: www.casino.org
